The Revelation
by Ink Mage
Summary: A conversation between Bunny and Jack about being walked through.


_A.N. Hey all! There isn't much of importance in reguard to the fic here—after all, I'm pretty sure that everyone knows that I don't own Rise of the Guardians, or any of the other characters in my other stories. No, I'm here to send out a HUGE thank you to ThatOneFan, aka HerosHand, who made this awesome cover art. It really makes me happy to know that someone enjoyed the story enough to put in the time to make a cover for it. SO HAPPY!_

E. Aster Bunnymund wasn't scared by much. After all, a 6"1 Pooka who was a master of Tai-Chi with nerves of steel didn't fear much. Alright, so he had a healthy respect for greyhounds—but that was completely different. Yes, Bunny didn't get scared by much. However, feeling that little girl in England walk right through him… well, Bunny had never felt anything like it. He and the other Guardians had never had a period of time where they were not believed in. After all, presents, money, eggs, a special dream—all of these had strong effects on children. No one could explain it, so the children quickly began to believe in the Guardians. But now he had been walked through. It was almost an icy flash that started at his heart. Then it spread rapidly to all of his limbs, from his ears to his tail, as if whatever had pierced his heart was making its way through his bloodstream. It was painful, terrifying, nauseating, and entirely unforgettable. Bunny wasn't sure how he had found the strength to return home, but how he was crouched in a corner of the Warren. The lack of belief was shrinking him rapidly—he was almost the size of a normal rabbit now. But what scared him most of all was that he couldn't stop trembling, as his body shook with in remembrance of that icy pain.

"Bunny?" Tooth's voice was trembling softly. Bunny forced himself to look up towards the Guardian of Memories. He tried to put on a brave face, but Tooth could always see right through him. She immediately sank down to hug the shaking Pooka, who took the opportunity to snuggle into her arms.

"It hurt," Bunny admitted softly. "That little girl… I remember her. She's seen me once or twice, and she always likes to collect the pink eggs first. In fact, last year she left carrots on the bench in the park, because she claimed that I would get hungry while dashing all over the world, delivering eggs. And now she can't see me. She's _ten, _Tooth," he continued, his voice cracking. "I'm used to adults not seeing me, but the little nipper is still only ten!"

"What… what did being walked through feel like," Tooth asked shakily. Bunny realized that she would likely experience it sometime soon at the rate that children were stopping their believing, so he did his best to describe it. "It's cold, and painful, and scary. All of a sudden, you're not real any more. It makes you question your own existence. I mean, if someone can just walk right through me… am I really there?"

Bunny had expected lots of responses, but not for Tooth to start crying softly. "Tooth," he asked in concern. "What's wrong? What happened?" Bunny could not have expected her response. "I was just thinking, if one child walked through you once and it hurt you this much… what must have it been like for Jack over those 300 years?"

_Time passes…_

"Does it ever get any better?" Jack turned around to see Bunnymund, who was hovering anxiously in the doorway. After defeating Pitch and initiating Jack as a Guardian, the group had gone to the North Pole for some well-deserved rest. Well, some of them had. Sandy had left to start sending some of his best dreams sleeping children who had been left alone with nothing but nightmares. Tooth had also left to collect teeth—and leave money for the children who had missed out the night before. So in the end, it was Jack, Santa and Bunnymund who were resting at the North Pole. And now Bunny the Easter Kangaroo (Jack fought back a wicked mental chuckle) wanted to talk.

"Does _what_ ever get better?" Jack asked, and noted that if anything Bunny was getting more nervous. His heart sank. He knew where this conversation was going. He had hoped to avoid it, but he knew that it was going to come up—most likely with Bunnymund. The Pooka confirmed his hypothesis. "Being walked through—does it get any better?"

"No," Jack said simply. He winced at the crest-fallen look on Bunny's face and continued. "It slowly becomes less shocking when children walk through you over the centuries. You learn to expect it over time. But no—the pain never changes. And the more it happens, the more you question your existence. The majority of times when I lost control of my powers and caused blizzards, that was the reason—I was desperate to prove to myself that I was real, and it got out of hand."

"Well," Bunny said softly, "you won't have to worry about that any more. Because as long as we're around, you will always have believers—even if I have to paint snowflakes and winterscapes on all of my eggs." Jack smiled, and the pair enjoyed a moment of quiet companionship. "So," Bunny asked, "can I rely on you not to bring a blizzard at Easter again?"

"Hey, no promises Rabbit. Now, I have a snowball fight to start in Michigan."

"HEY! Get back here, you little—"


End file.
